Press Review
Sofia, January 13 (BTA)
THE HOME SCENE
"Troud" has a front-page story on the reshuffle in the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leadership ("Dogan Paves the Way for New Leader"). "For the first time since MRF's establishment, its leader Ahmed Dogan takes on a very heavy burden: total purge of the territory around him and elimination of key figures in MRF's 20-year life since its establishment. He is doing it at a time when the party is isolated from allies and friends, has drawn upon itself much public ire, and is accused of all political sins. In his report to the 7th MRF conference late last year Dogan warned his men that serious changes were coming up in the leadership but noone believed that he would be forced to part with Kassim Dal and Yunal Lyutvi, and shed MRF's top economist Yordan Tsonev and Emel Etem. The new faces in the leadership is where Dogan will be looking to find the next party leader," the story goes.
***
"Sega" comments that Dogan "is testing the party loyalty". It says that he is getting rid of the old guard, most of whom have been compromised by their presence in the government and in the party leadership, to give a chance to somebody new and unknown. The paper speculates on whether, may be, Dogan is preparing to wind down the party - which he had long been threatening to do, and says this is very much unlikely.
***
In "24 Chassa", MRF's Prof. Lyudmil Georgiev says that the most likely successor of Dogan as MRF leader is Kassim Dal ("Kassim Dal: the MRF Leader in the Future"). On Monday Dogan did not mention Dal among his deputies and the leadership members were left with the impression that he is allowed a well-deserved break before he takes on bigger responsibilities than those of MRF deputy leader, Prof. Georgiev says.
***
According to "Standard News", two of Dal's henchmen were elected to the MRF top leadership which goes to show that Dal himself is strengthening his positions. "What exactly is about to happen at MRF, only Dogan can say," the story says adding that Dogan is the only Bulgarian politician who knows the secret of always emerging stronger and with bigger electoral support after each government he participates in.
***
In a "24 Chassa" interview, Kamen Kostadinov of the MRF Central Bureau says "nobody feels demoted". He is adamant that the removal of some people from the leadership is not over poor performance but because MRF "is in a new situation". "A new political cycle starts for the party and it requires building a new team," he says. He goes on to dismiss allegations about clashes among various fractions in MRF: "MRF is united and consolidated and has its party vision".
"Sega" reports the latest poll by the MBMD pollsters ("Only Three Parties Make It into Parliament during Elections") saying that only GERB, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and MRF get the 4 per cent (or more) needed for a party to win seats in Parliament.
***
"Troud" quotes Democrats for Strong Bulgaria leader Ivan Kostov as saying that the government should catch the masterminds of the Impudent, a group of kidnappers which was busted recently in a large-scale operation of the law-enforcers. He also calls for catching the people in the high corridors of the Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security, who have provided umbrella for the Impudent and the likes of them. Kostov also said that GERB has so far been unable to handle the crisis.
***
"Troud" writes about BSP's intention to challenge before the Constitutional Court two laws. One is the National Budget Act where Article 17 allows government ministers to cut back spending that has been approved by Parliament. The socialists' other objection is to the manner of adopting amendments to the Archive Fund Act.
***
"24 Chassa" leads with a story saying that Parliament leader Tsetska Tsacheva has banned access to the Tsarska Bistritsa residence for tourists as of the end of December 2009. The ban is part of a moratorium that has been imposed on property owned by Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Any operation and construction works is also prohibited until a special law is adopted about property that has been left by King Ferdinand and Boris III.
***
A front-page story in "Troud" says that 11 drug dealers and thieves were arrested in Sofia in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. The operation started on Monday evening when 200 policemen searched 157 offices and bars known to be used by underworld figures. 22 crimes were solved during the operation, including seven robberies and five thefts.
***
"Sega" says that the government is introducing serious penalties in a bid to make its citizens use their rights. The story refers to amendments to the medical insurance legislation whereby Bulgarians with medical insurance will be unable to travel abroad unles they have taken out a European medical insurance card. This card certifies that its holder has regularly paid medical insurance and is entitled to free emergency medical aid. The ban on foreign travel by people without such a card has been in effect since December 18, 2009, but is not being observed.
ECONOMY
The budget is waiting for 7 billion from VAT, "24 Chassa" writes. The story is prompted by a remark by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he said that he is very much likely to put to practice his advice about financial policies, including a reduction of VAT with immediate effect. The author observes that VAT brings in close to half of all tax revenue in the public purse and reducing it by 0.5 per cent means losing at least 135 million leva. The head of the parliamentary budget committee, Menda Stoyanova, comments that bringing down VAT this year is a risky step. Bozhidar Danev of the Bulgarian Industrial Association says that such a step this year would be dangerous because it could destabilize the macro-economic framework. According to Georgi Angelov of the Open Society Institute, further tax reforms by reducing VAT should follow bringing social insurance contributions to low enough levels. Currently social insurance contributions make up 30 per cent of the monthly wage.
***
In "Douma", MP and former Economy Minister Peter Dimitrov says that bringing down VAT now is too adventurist. "Such measures are undertaken where there is surplus: you bring down a tax and cut back the surplus but none of the systems of the state suffers".
***
"We are out of the crisis but nothing good follows from that," financier Emil Hursev says in a "Pari" interview. He expects "a much worse and much more danerous period" in the next three or four years: a period of depression which is worse than recession. "We will be witness of coercive debt collection, bankruptcies, final sales, closure of jobs. Exiting the crisis does not mean going back to the times of tempestuous economic development and a boom in lending. Bulgaria lacks resources to pour money in the economy and return it to the track of growth. Unlike Germany, we can't take out 1,000 billion euro," says Hursev.
***
In a "Troud" interview MEP and former Foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin warns that ADIS, the state-owned company which runs the diplomatic properties in Bulgaria, is being driven to demise. He says that in the past three years the company was saved from financial troubles and was handed over to the new government with zero debts and 11 million leva in its account. What has happened since then is that everybody hired by the previous CEO has been sacked, one of the profit-making activities of the company - dealership - has been done with, and what probably comes next is spending the 11 million in the company accounts, declaring the company as financially troubled and starting the sale of assets, Kalfin says. "I will try to make sure this is not done in the dark," he adds.
BULGARIA - EU
The papers report the Tuesday hearing of EU Commissioner Rumiana Jeleva at the European Parliament's Development Committee. "Sega" ("MEPs Crucify Rumiana Jeleva") says that the Q&A session turned into a public lynch as several green, liberal and left MEPs asked Jeleva questions about her financial interests leaving in the background the question about her competence and priorities.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 13, 2010
· Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Rumiana Jeleva, nominee for commissioner, said she will not withdraw her bid, even though her hearing at the European Parliament on Tuesday evening descended into disarray amidst claims that she was less than frank in declarations about her business affairs. Earlier in the day Prime Minister Boyko Borisov defended Jeleva, saying that she has fallen victim to a plot, concocted by the opposition Socialist and NDSV parties.
· Nikolay Marinov a.k.a The Small Margin has not appeared in the court during the hearing of the case against him. Krasimir and Nikolay Marinovi have been accused of initiating the killing of radio presenter Bobi Tsankov, over which Krasimir Marinov, a.k.a The Big Margin has been arrested. His brother was declared for national search. He was expected to be arrested today (Wednesday) at the hearing of the case, which has lasted for over three years.
· Two masked and armed attackers have robbed a unit of a bank in downtown Sofia. According to an employee in the bank office two men burst into the office, located in a block of flats. They threatened her with a gun, took about BGN 20 000 and run away in an unknown direction.An investigation into the case has been launched. There has been a surge in brazen robberies in the Bulgarian capital lately, which the prime minister has seen as a plot against his government.
onsdag den 13. januar 2010
tirsdag den 12. januar 2010
Bulgarian press review, January 12, 2010
Press Review
Sofia, January 12
FOREIGN POLICY
"Klassa" reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recommended to his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov phasing in a lower VAT, by 0.5 per cent each half-year beginning now, rather than reducing it by 2 per cent in a one-off act in 2011, which is what the Bulgarian government is contemplating in a leading article, "Sega" writes that Israel has convinced Borissov to reduce VAT rates. "Pari" caps "Borissov Likes Shocking Idea about VAT." During Netanyahu's term as Finance Minister, the same step took Israel out of a recession, the newspaper explains.
***
"Zemya" reports that Bulgaria will give Israel access to its military bases. The prime ministers of Bulgaria and Israel agreed that Israeli aircraft will use Bulgarian military bases for training. The two countries signed a memorandum on military cooperation.
***
"Jeleva One Step Short of Being EU Commissioner," report "24 Chassa" and "Troud." Commissioner-designate Rumiana Jeleva has assured European Commission President Jose Barroso that her declaration for conflict of interest is in compliance with the Code of Ethics, the media report, citing the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. Barroso's statement came in response to a letter by the Green Group in the European Parliament, regarding media reports about Jeleva. Barroso also said that allegations of abuse have to be proven. In an interview for "Telegraph", MEP Andrey Kovachev (GERB) is confident that Jeleva will pass the test.
***
In a "Troud" interview, Raina Mandjoukova, head of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, says that more Bulgarian schools have to be opened abroad. In her words, the most active student organizations are in Germany, France, the UK and Ukraine.
HOME AFFAIRS, JUDICIARY
"Telegraph" reports that a check by the prosecuting authorities has found that half the members of the gang, dubbed the Impudent, were undercover agents with various services of the Interior Ministry. Now magistrates are examining documents to see who the recruiting officers were.
***
In an interview for "Novinar", Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov says that 12 proceedings against ten members of the Impudent were joined. Kokinov also says that information, provided by radio host Bobby Tsankov, who was shot January 5, was true and he wanted to be useful.
***
"The fact that snow on the street was still melting from Bobby Tsankov's blood, when the Big Marguin was arrested and charged with commissioning Tsankov's murder, most likely means that the authorities already knew how and why someone bore a grudge against Tsankov," writes Anna Zarkova in "Troud". The question according to her is why the prosecuting authorities and the police did not use this information and did not appoint a surveillance of Tsankov who thought of himself as a spokesperson for the underworld. Zarkova argues that if the services had shadowed Tsankov, they might have seen who got scared of his book, which encouraged him to write it, or even who had plotted his murder. They might have even caught his killers.
THE HOME SCENE
Quoting the Health Ministry, "24 Chassa" reports that from April 1, those leaving the country have to carry an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Anyone who fails to produce it before the border authorities will not be able to leave. Although the card is required under current legislation, a period of several months free of fine will be given. The Health Ministry explained that the new requirement entitles individuals to free medical aid abroad. The Ministry also said that between 80 and 100 health establishments will close by the end of the year.
***
"24 Chassa" reports that parties in 2010 will cost taxpayers 49,902,612 leva (roughly 25 million euro). This is the amount allocated as subsidy to the six parties in Parliament and the two out-of-Parliament opposition formations, LIDER and the National Movement for Surge and Stability, which won more than 1 per cent of the vote in the general elections. The subsidy has risen five times in four years, as it is pegged to the minimum monthly wage. Under latest changes to the Political Parties Act, the subsidy has been increased to shield parties from outside influence.
***
Under the leading headline "Thorough Purge in MRF", "Troud" reports that Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan has uprooted the party's top crust and has appointed new deputies. "In opposition we need a new face, new vision. We need to break away from our old ways of governance," said Dogan. The MRF leader went on about taking up "a panel approach", meaning that the MRF has to get rid of its image as a party where decisions are made single-handedly and instead adopt a team decision-making approach, "Troud" explains. Lyutvi Mestan is the only one of Dogan's deputies who has kept his post. Emel Etem, Kassim Dal, Yunal Lyutfi and Yordan Tsonev were demoted to members of the Central Operative Bureau. Dogan's new deputies are Mestan, Filiz Hyusmenova, Hristo Bisserov, Roushen Roza and Aliosman Imamov, the Tuesday media report. According to "Troud", Bisserov is appointed as the MRF strategist. Rossen Vladimiriov, the first Bulgarian to become MRF deputy leader, is not on the movement leadership. Vladimirov did not attend the MRF national conference at the end of December. MRF members say that he is residing abroad.
***
In a "24 Chassa" article, Mira Radeva of the MBMD says that in six months the real challenges for GERB will begin. According to her, in 2011 local structures will answer the question whether GERB lives up to the image, created by Boyko Borissov for its political project. The local elections will be an indicator of what people think of GERB local structures. Any irregularities on a regional scale will be brought to light by then, which will inevitably influence the outcome of the elections. The real problem for the government will be the second half of the year: to take the country out of the recession and to prove that it has the political will to handle shady organizations, oligarchy and crime. Crackdowns on crime and Interior Minister Tsvetanov’s attempts to purge the police from within have improved police approval ratings from 35 to 46 per cent, and Tsvetanov's ratings by 9 percentage points to 61 per cent, Radeva says.
***
Veliko Turnovo's national military university, Bulgaria's largest military school, is currently attended by just 17 cadets from Vietnam. Bulgarian trainee officers have been forced to take a holiday for the first time in the history of the school. University Rector Gen. Tsvetan Harizanov took the unprecedented step to suspend classes because of mounting debts. All Bulgarian cadets will be preparing at home until exam session begins on March 1 to spare them from the cold and hunger.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 12, 2010
· Discussion on the amendments to the Electronic Messages Act has acquired new dimensions after dissensions have occurred between the operators and the interior ministry about the tome the information can be provided. According to representatives of the three mobile operators the requirement information from the data base to be presented in the frames of two or three hours is not realistic. According to a research among the mobile internet suppliers at least 34 hours will be needed. The non-governmental organizations and the interior ministry has reached and agreement on dropping off the direct interface. Then mobile operators said this is probably the only way to provide fact access to the information.
· The commission of nine people, which will choose the executor of the Lot 2 of the north main motorway “Trakya “, will work under extremely security measures, says Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Rosen Plevneliev. Eight companies have tabled their offers on the construction of lot 2 of Trakiya motorway. They are: Turkish Doush Company, Australian Shtrabak Company, Bulgarian motorways consortium (Glavtroy and Black Sea motorways), Greek Terna le, Alpine Holding Roads, Union Trace motorway, Greek Actor, Construction under Construction Contracts Act Constructor Trakya.
The offers are filled by leading companies in the region-Croatian, Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian as part of them are united in consortium, Plevneliev said.
Sofia, January 12
FOREIGN POLICY
"Klassa" reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recommended to his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov phasing in a lower VAT, by 0.5 per cent each half-year beginning now, rather than reducing it by 2 per cent in a one-off act in 2011, which is what the Bulgarian government is contemplating in a leading article, "Sega" writes that Israel has convinced Borissov to reduce VAT rates. "Pari" caps "Borissov Likes Shocking Idea about VAT." During Netanyahu's term as Finance Minister, the same step took Israel out of a recession, the newspaper explains.
***
"Zemya" reports that Bulgaria will give Israel access to its military bases. The prime ministers of Bulgaria and Israel agreed that Israeli aircraft will use Bulgarian military bases for training. The two countries signed a memorandum on military cooperation.
***
"Jeleva One Step Short of Being EU Commissioner," report "24 Chassa" and "Troud." Commissioner-designate Rumiana Jeleva has assured European Commission President Jose Barroso that her declaration for conflict of interest is in compliance with the Code of Ethics, the media report, citing the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. Barroso's statement came in response to a letter by the Green Group in the European Parliament, regarding media reports about Jeleva. Barroso also said that allegations of abuse have to be proven. In an interview for "Telegraph", MEP Andrey Kovachev (GERB) is confident that Jeleva will pass the test.
***
In a "Troud" interview, Raina Mandjoukova, head of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, says that more Bulgarian schools have to be opened abroad. In her words, the most active student organizations are in Germany, France, the UK and Ukraine.
HOME AFFAIRS, JUDICIARY
"Telegraph" reports that a check by the prosecuting authorities has found that half the members of the gang, dubbed the Impudent, were undercover agents with various services of the Interior Ministry. Now magistrates are examining documents to see who the recruiting officers were.
***
In an interview for "Novinar", Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov says that 12 proceedings against ten members of the Impudent were joined. Kokinov also says that information, provided by radio host Bobby Tsankov, who was shot January 5, was true and he wanted to be useful.
***
"The fact that snow on the street was still melting from Bobby Tsankov's blood, when the Big Marguin was arrested and charged with commissioning Tsankov's murder, most likely means that the authorities already knew how and why someone bore a grudge against Tsankov," writes Anna Zarkova in "Troud". The question according to her is why the prosecuting authorities and the police did not use this information and did not appoint a surveillance of Tsankov who thought of himself as a spokesperson for the underworld. Zarkova argues that if the services had shadowed Tsankov, they might have seen who got scared of his book, which encouraged him to write it, or even who had plotted his murder. They might have even caught his killers.
THE HOME SCENE
Quoting the Health Ministry, "24 Chassa" reports that from April 1, those leaving the country have to carry an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Anyone who fails to produce it before the border authorities will not be able to leave. Although the card is required under current legislation, a period of several months free of fine will be given. The Health Ministry explained that the new requirement entitles individuals to free medical aid abroad. The Ministry also said that between 80 and 100 health establishments will close by the end of the year.
***
"24 Chassa" reports that parties in 2010 will cost taxpayers 49,902,612 leva (roughly 25 million euro). This is the amount allocated as subsidy to the six parties in Parliament and the two out-of-Parliament opposition formations, LIDER and the National Movement for Surge and Stability, which won more than 1 per cent of the vote in the general elections. The subsidy has risen five times in four years, as it is pegged to the minimum monthly wage. Under latest changes to the Political Parties Act, the subsidy has been increased to shield parties from outside influence.
***
Under the leading headline "Thorough Purge in MRF", "Troud" reports that Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Ahmed Dogan has uprooted the party's top crust and has appointed new deputies. "In opposition we need a new face, new vision. We need to break away from our old ways of governance," said Dogan. The MRF leader went on about taking up "a panel approach", meaning that the MRF has to get rid of its image as a party where decisions are made single-handedly and instead adopt a team decision-making approach, "Troud" explains. Lyutvi Mestan is the only one of Dogan's deputies who has kept his post. Emel Etem, Kassim Dal, Yunal Lyutfi and Yordan Tsonev were demoted to members of the Central Operative Bureau. Dogan's new deputies are Mestan, Filiz Hyusmenova, Hristo Bisserov, Roushen Roza and Aliosman Imamov, the Tuesday media report. According to "Troud", Bisserov is appointed as the MRF strategist. Rossen Vladimiriov, the first Bulgarian to become MRF deputy leader, is not on the movement leadership. Vladimirov did not attend the MRF national conference at the end of December. MRF members say that he is residing abroad.
***
In a "24 Chassa" article, Mira Radeva of the MBMD says that in six months the real challenges for GERB will begin. According to her, in 2011 local structures will answer the question whether GERB lives up to the image, created by Boyko Borissov for its political project. The local elections will be an indicator of what people think of GERB local structures. Any irregularities on a regional scale will be brought to light by then, which will inevitably influence the outcome of the elections. The real problem for the government will be the second half of the year: to take the country out of the recession and to prove that it has the political will to handle shady organizations, oligarchy and crime. Crackdowns on crime and Interior Minister Tsvetanov’s attempts to purge the police from within have improved police approval ratings from 35 to 46 per cent, and Tsvetanov's ratings by 9 percentage points to 61 per cent, Radeva says.
***
Veliko Turnovo's national military university, Bulgaria's largest military school, is currently attended by just 17 cadets from Vietnam. Bulgarian trainee officers have been forced to take a holiday for the first time in the history of the school. University Rector Gen. Tsvetan Harizanov took the unprecedented step to suspend classes because of mounting debts. All Bulgarian cadets will be preparing at home until exam session begins on March 1 to spare them from the cold and hunger.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 12, 2010
· Discussion on the amendments to the Electronic Messages Act has acquired new dimensions after dissensions have occurred between the operators and the interior ministry about the tome the information can be provided. According to representatives of the three mobile operators the requirement information from the data base to be presented in the frames of two or three hours is not realistic. According to a research among the mobile internet suppliers at least 34 hours will be needed. The non-governmental organizations and the interior ministry has reached and agreement on dropping off the direct interface. Then mobile operators said this is probably the only way to provide fact access to the information.
· The commission of nine people, which will choose the executor of the Lot 2 of the north main motorway “Trakya “, will work under extremely security measures, says Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Rosen Plevneliev. Eight companies have tabled their offers on the construction of lot 2 of Trakiya motorway. They are: Turkish Doush Company, Australian Shtrabak Company, Bulgarian motorways consortium (Glavtroy and Black Sea motorways), Greek Terna le, Alpine Holding Roads, Union Trace motorway, Greek Actor, Construction under Construction Contracts Act Constructor Trakya.
The offers are filled by leading companies in the region-Croatian, Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian as part of them are united in consortium, Plevneliev said.
mandag den 11. januar 2010
Bulgarian press review, January 11, 2010
Press Review
Sofia, January 11
THE HOME SCENE
"Boyko Borissov: 100 Per Cent Chairman": under this front-page headline "Troud" quotes Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov as telling the delegates of his party's National Meeting on Sunday that "GERB's only opponent is GERB itself. The Complacency and corruption in government will not be tolerated. There will be no compromise for anyone who tries to steal." Borissov was elected unanimously party Chairman by 1,227 delegates.
"24 Chassa" quotes outgoing GERB chairman and Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov as saying at the National Meeting that "nothing can separate" him from Borissov. "I don't know how it cropped up that there is a conflict between Borissov and Tsvetanov. Can't any of those people realize that Tsvetanov would not have been Tsvetanov without Borissov? Can't any of those people realize that the GERB project would not have existed without a unity between Borissov and Tsvetanov?" He pledged that their tandem will not be broken up.
Under the heading "GERB between Power and Temptations," sociologist Yulii Pavlov comments in "Standart News" that European People's Party (EPP) Wilfred Martens gave a very important assessment at the forum. "He made it crystal clear that GERB is their partner in Bulgaria. This is the latest EPP acknowledgement of the role of GERB and especially of Boyko Borissov for the development of this country. It shows something more: that the traditional Right has lived out its time and is pushed into the fringe of political life. Any disputes about the authenticity of Bulgaria's Right are closed, as far as Europe is concerned."
* * *
"Yane Yanev to Bring down Cabinet," "Troud" notes in a headline. Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) Party leader Yane Yanev said in Blagoevgrad on Sunday that he is launching active steps for the ouster of the Boyko Borissov Cabinet. "We are ruled by a party which is a hybrid of the BCP [Bulgarian Communist Party] and the Interior Ministry," Yanev said, calling on all Bulgarians to shed fear and resignation and to support the OLJ rally in Sofia on March 10. Later on, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told bTV: "The sudden riot of tobacco growers, the unlawful construction of something purporting to be a monument is things that test us as power holders. I think that in February-March, when the winter is severe and the crisis is at its height, they will try to destabilize and, certainly, Yane Yanev will help them."
"PM Best at Steps Back:" under this heading, "Troud" carries an interview with sociologist Zhivko Georgiev. He notes that "during the last three months of GERB's incumbency, the Prime Minister has shown growing sensitivity to criticism in the positive sense of the word. On several occasions he proved capable of listening to reasonable arguments coming from the outside: from the opposition, from social groups, from partners, from the President. The truest steps that GERB and above all the PM have taken in recent months have been the steps back. The PM's actions may seem inconsistent, but what matters more is that they correct the inadequate decisions of the more Tale ban-minded part of the GERB activists," Georgiev argues.
* * *
GERB Floor Co-leader Iskra Fidossova says in an interview for "Klassa" that her party encounters great difficulties in areas with ethnically mixed population. "People there are afraid to come and see us," Fidossova says. "They sneak in, lest some of the local leaders of the MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms] see them. May be they are harassed in some way. But now that we have become a ruling party, the tangible change is evident. I think those people will gather strength to overcome fear and be a little more open to us."
* * *
"Sega" notes in a comment that "Prime Minister Boyko Borissov fulfils quite a few popular wishes. All you need to do to have your wish fulfilled is meeting with Borissov. Still, little progress is being made. Parliament's efficiency is dismal, having completed its first session with 50 unfinished bills and at least as many that are urgent but have not been even started. The numerous decisions with hours-long shelf life wreak havoc and smack of incompetence. The lack of a coalition in practice liquidated the opposition, because Bulgarian experience shows that checks and balances are only possible with coalition government as partners are constantly on the watch for one another. Paradoxically, quite a few of the things for which the previous governments were detested have disappeared now, yet confidence in GERB is dwindling. One reason is that the 'public debate' invariably sticks to insignificant and populist issues, whose vacuity we discover only when they materialize."
* * *
"Djankov will be perceived as the necessary evil," sociologist Anatolii Gulubov predicts in an interview for "Sega." He does not expect the stability of the GERB government to come under serious threats during the new political year as long as it presses ahead with the reforms. "GERB's policies and conduct could most probably change in terms of accelerating the pace of reforms and the competence of the members of Parliament. This has everything to do with the relations between GERB and The Blue Coalition, insomuch as the reformist experience is concentrated precisely there. So far Bulgaria has had just a single reformist cabinet in conditions of a serious crisis, and this has been the Kostov Cabinet."
* * *
"No Handover Interface? It's a Load off Interior Ministry's Back," Deputy Interior Minister Vesselin Vouchkov says in a "Troud" interview. He notes that "the idea is that operators should identify to the Communications Regulation Commission a contact point which will be constantly accessible to prosecutors, investigating police officers and other such. It is very important to fix a maximum time limit within which the Interior Ministry should receive the traffic data, say, two hours after the court ruling. We at the Interior Ministry do not need interface. On the contrary, giving up the interface will be a load off our back because otherwise abuse will always be suspected."
* * *
In "Standart News," Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev says there are several options of addressing the issue of the under funding of medical services. One way is to seek a possible increase of the health insurance contribution. The other way is to create a health insurance model including other pillars as well. The third way is to require patients to co-pay a certain percentage of the service. But this need not be money out of their own pocket. It may be an incentive for supplementary insurance, above all voluntary, the Minister explains.
ECONOMY
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov say’s in an interview for "24 Chassa" that an agency will be managing state property worth 50,000 million leva. He attaches great importance to it because the State owns enormous assets. "We have an idea to pool minority interests in one place and transfer the proceeds from dividends directly to the Silver Fund for pensions. I expect that we will concentrate state-owned majority interests worth 30,000-40,000, even 50,000 million leva in the agency. Just imagine the Bulgarian Energy Holding! We have not yet decided whether that agency should take over the ministries' property as well. Another option is to decentralize in municipalities. In any case, the setting up of such agency is exceedingly important from a fiscal point of view because the State must be a good administrator of its property and must prudently reallocate the yield of this property to the benefit of citizens."
"The State dips deeply into our pockets. But what does it give us?" Peter Ganev of the Institute for Market Economics comments in "24 Chassa." He notes that in 2010 Bulgarians will produce an average 174 million leva per calendar day, according to the expected GDP. Therefore, generating the 26,400 million leva planned budget revenues will take nearly 152 days in 2010. Bulgarians will be working for as long as five solid months to fill the public purse. What they get in exchange is a different matter. Bad health care, problematic education, low pensions and, worst of all - an impossibility to guarantee security and justice."
The lump-sum end-of-life fee paid upon import of a car older than 10 years has been increased from 220 leva to 242 leva, the Environment Ministry warns, quoted by "Troud". The end-of-life fee for brand new cars is hiked as well, from 121 leva to 133 leva. Vehicles manufactured up to five years ago will require a fee of 182 leva, up from 165 leva before, and those aged between 5 and 10 years, 230 leva, compared to 209 leva so far.
BULGARIA - EU
"Bulgaria Closes 67 Dairy, Meat Farms for the Sake of EU,"
"Sega", reports. Despite the numerous postponements granted by the EU, they have failed to meet the hygiene requirements, the Agriculture Ministry said on Sunday. Brussels gave Bulgaria until the end of 2009 to have all its cheese producers modernize their buildings, meet hygiene requirements and introduce a product traceability system. Just months ago, Brussels extended until the end of 2011 the modernization deadline for 80,000 Bulgarian companies which supply milk processors and meat packers with milk and meat.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 11, 2010
· Czech power utility company CEZ Bulgaria has announced that starting from February 1, 2010 it will now regulate and monitor electric consumption on a monthly basis. It said in a media statement that the company "has proven that it respects the Bulgarian institutions, the decisions of the energy sector, and that it operates in the best interest of its customers".
· Employees of BDZ ( the national railway transport company)-Passenger Transportation’s maneuver brigades have mounted a protest at Central Railways Station Sofia, press center of the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) told FOCUS News Agency. The reason for the demonstrations is unpaid monthly salaries for last November.
Sofia, January 11
THE HOME SCENE
"Boyko Borissov: 100 Per Cent Chairman": under this front-page headline "Troud" quotes Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov as telling the delegates of his party's National Meeting on Sunday that "GERB's only opponent is GERB itself. The Complacency and corruption in government will not be tolerated. There will be no compromise for anyone who tries to steal." Borissov was elected unanimously party Chairman by 1,227 delegates.
"24 Chassa" quotes outgoing GERB chairman and Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov as saying at the National Meeting that "nothing can separate" him from Borissov. "I don't know how it cropped up that there is a conflict between Borissov and Tsvetanov. Can't any of those people realize that Tsvetanov would not have been Tsvetanov without Borissov? Can't any of those people realize that the GERB project would not have existed without a unity between Borissov and Tsvetanov?" He pledged that their tandem will not be broken up.
Under the heading "GERB between Power and Temptations," sociologist Yulii Pavlov comments in "Standart News" that European People's Party (EPP) Wilfred Martens gave a very important assessment at the forum. "He made it crystal clear that GERB is their partner in Bulgaria. This is the latest EPP acknowledgement of the role of GERB and especially of Boyko Borissov for the development of this country. It shows something more: that the traditional Right has lived out its time and is pushed into the fringe of political life. Any disputes about the authenticity of Bulgaria's Right are closed, as far as Europe is concerned."
* * *
"Yane Yanev to Bring down Cabinet," "Troud" notes in a headline. Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) Party leader Yane Yanev said in Blagoevgrad on Sunday that he is launching active steps for the ouster of the Boyko Borissov Cabinet. "We are ruled by a party which is a hybrid of the BCP [Bulgarian Communist Party] and the Interior Ministry," Yanev said, calling on all Bulgarians to shed fear and resignation and to support the OLJ rally in Sofia on March 10. Later on, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told bTV: "The sudden riot of tobacco growers, the unlawful construction of something purporting to be a monument is things that test us as power holders. I think that in February-March, when the winter is severe and the crisis is at its height, they will try to destabilize and, certainly, Yane Yanev will help them."
"PM Best at Steps Back:" under this heading, "Troud" carries an interview with sociologist Zhivko Georgiev. He notes that "during the last three months of GERB's incumbency, the Prime Minister has shown growing sensitivity to criticism in the positive sense of the word. On several occasions he proved capable of listening to reasonable arguments coming from the outside: from the opposition, from social groups, from partners, from the President. The truest steps that GERB and above all the PM have taken in recent months have been the steps back. The PM's actions may seem inconsistent, but what matters more is that they correct the inadequate decisions of the more Tale ban-minded part of the GERB activists," Georgiev argues.
* * *
GERB Floor Co-leader Iskra Fidossova says in an interview for "Klassa" that her party encounters great difficulties in areas with ethnically mixed population. "People there are afraid to come and see us," Fidossova says. "They sneak in, lest some of the local leaders of the MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms] see them. May be they are harassed in some way. But now that we have become a ruling party, the tangible change is evident. I think those people will gather strength to overcome fear and be a little more open to us."
* * *
"Sega" notes in a comment that "Prime Minister Boyko Borissov fulfils quite a few popular wishes. All you need to do to have your wish fulfilled is meeting with Borissov. Still, little progress is being made. Parliament's efficiency is dismal, having completed its first session with 50 unfinished bills and at least as many that are urgent but have not been even started. The numerous decisions with hours-long shelf life wreak havoc and smack of incompetence. The lack of a coalition in practice liquidated the opposition, because Bulgarian experience shows that checks and balances are only possible with coalition government as partners are constantly on the watch for one another. Paradoxically, quite a few of the things for which the previous governments were detested have disappeared now, yet confidence in GERB is dwindling. One reason is that the 'public debate' invariably sticks to insignificant and populist issues, whose vacuity we discover only when they materialize."
* * *
"Djankov will be perceived as the necessary evil," sociologist Anatolii Gulubov predicts in an interview for "Sega." He does not expect the stability of the GERB government to come under serious threats during the new political year as long as it presses ahead with the reforms. "GERB's policies and conduct could most probably change in terms of accelerating the pace of reforms and the competence of the members of Parliament. This has everything to do with the relations between GERB and The Blue Coalition, insomuch as the reformist experience is concentrated precisely there. So far Bulgaria has had just a single reformist cabinet in conditions of a serious crisis, and this has been the Kostov Cabinet."
* * *
"No Handover Interface? It's a Load off Interior Ministry's Back," Deputy Interior Minister Vesselin Vouchkov says in a "Troud" interview. He notes that "the idea is that operators should identify to the Communications Regulation Commission a contact point which will be constantly accessible to prosecutors, investigating police officers and other such. It is very important to fix a maximum time limit within which the Interior Ministry should receive the traffic data, say, two hours after the court ruling. We at the Interior Ministry do not need interface. On the contrary, giving up the interface will be a load off our back because otherwise abuse will always be suspected."
* * *
In "Standart News," Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev says there are several options of addressing the issue of the under funding of medical services. One way is to seek a possible increase of the health insurance contribution. The other way is to create a health insurance model including other pillars as well. The third way is to require patients to co-pay a certain percentage of the service. But this need not be money out of their own pocket. It may be an incentive for supplementary insurance, above all voluntary, the Minister explains.
ECONOMY
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov say’s in an interview for "24 Chassa" that an agency will be managing state property worth 50,000 million leva. He attaches great importance to it because the State owns enormous assets. "We have an idea to pool minority interests in one place and transfer the proceeds from dividends directly to the Silver Fund for pensions. I expect that we will concentrate state-owned majority interests worth 30,000-40,000, even 50,000 million leva in the agency. Just imagine the Bulgarian Energy Holding! We have not yet decided whether that agency should take over the ministries' property as well. Another option is to decentralize in municipalities. In any case, the setting up of such agency is exceedingly important from a fiscal point of view because the State must be a good administrator of its property and must prudently reallocate the yield of this property to the benefit of citizens."
"The State dips deeply into our pockets. But what does it give us?" Peter Ganev of the Institute for Market Economics comments in "24 Chassa." He notes that in 2010 Bulgarians will produce an average 174 million leva per calendar day, according to the expected GDP. Therefore, generating the 26,400 million leva planned budget revenues will take nearly 152 days in 2010. Bulgarians will be working for as long as five solid months to fill the public purse. What they get in exchange is a different matter. Bad health care, problematic education, low pensions and, worst of all - an impossibility to guarantee security and justice."
The lump-sum end-of-life fee paid upon import of a car older than 10 years has been increased from 220 leva to 242 leva, the Environment Ministry warns, quoted by "Troud". The end-of-life fee for brand new cars is hiked as well, from 121 leva to 133 leva. Vehicles manufactured up to five years ago will require a fee of 182 leva, up from 165 leva before, and those aged between 5 and 10 years, 230 leva, compared to 209 leva so far.
BULGARIA - EU
"Bulgaria Closes 67 Dairy, Meat Farms for the Sake of EU,"
"Sega", reports. Despite the numerous postponements granted by the EU, they have failed to meet the hygiene requirements, the Agriculture Ministry said on Sunday. Brussels gave Bulgaria until the end of 2009 to have all its cheese producers modernize their buildings, meet hygiene requirements and introduce a product traceability system. Just months ago, Brussels extended until the end of 2011 the modernization deadline for 80,000 Bulgarian companies which supply milk processors and meat packers with milk and meat.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 11, 2010
· Czech power utility company CEZ Bulgaria has announced that starting from February 1, 2010 it will now regulate and monitor electric consumption on a monthly basis. It said in a media statement that the company "has proven that it respects the Bulgarian institutions, the decisions of the energy sector, and that it operates in the best interest of its customers".
· Employees of BDZ ( the national railway transport company)-Passenger Transportation’s maneuver brigades have mounted a protest at Central Railways Station Sofia, press center of the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) told FOCUS News Agency. The reason for the demonstrations is unpaid monthly salaries for last November.
fredag den 8. januar 2010
Bulgarian press review, January 8, 2010
Press Review
Sofia, January 8
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"Monitor" reports that the mafia has threatened to kill a magistrate."Zemya" quotes Prosecutor General Boris Velchev as saying that Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov has received death threats. Out of concern for his safety, Kokinov has been given security, writes "24 Chassa". When approached, Kokinov declined ANY comments. However, court officials say that they saw him accompanied by a bodyguard as early as Wednesday. Kokinov's Deputy Roman Vassilev, who is also said to have received security, declined to comment too.
***
"Standart News" writes that the Interior Ministry and the prosecuting magistracy are launching Operation "Bulgarian Octopus", which will round up gangsters with several pending cases.
***
In a "Telegraph" interview, Commissioner Valeri Yordanov, Chief of the Sofia police, says that footage from CCTV cameras near the place where radio host Boris Tsankov was killed is unclear and his killers could not be seen. Footage is yet to be analyzed by experts. The Commissioner says that the police have enough operational methods to get to Tsankov's physical killers.
***
"Troud" writes that just days before he was murdered, Boris "Bobby" Tsankov told magistrates that he was afraid of [alleged crime bosses] Stefan "Sako" Bonev, Meto Ilienski, Mityo "The Eyes", Georgi Vassilev's successors and Krassimir and Nikolai Marinovi, known as the Marguin Brothers. Tsankov said that he feared they might retaliate after he lifted the curtain on the underworld. The daily carries an interview with Lyudmil Rangelov, a defence counsel for the Marguins, who says that charges against the two are ridiculous. Given that the perpetrators are still at large, claims that Krassimir Marinov ordered the murder and Nikolai Marinov was his accomplice are beyond comprehension. According to Rangelov, the Marguins and Tsankov never crossed paths.
Tsankov ired the Marguins after he boasted he was going to make shocking revelations about some gang-style murders of recent years, "24 Chassa" reports. According to a high-ranking official of the Interior Ministry there is a grain of truth in Tsankov's disclosures, which made Krassimir and Nikolai Marinov feel threatened. According to the newspaper, there are solid leads that the brothers ordered Tsankov's murder. The modus operandi shows that the brothers had a hand in the killing. After boasting that they knew too much, mafia chronicler Georgi Stoev and Yordanka Zapryanova were also assassinated. Zapryanova, mother of shot financier Konstantin Dishliev, used to say that she knew vital information about the drug mafia and money laundering. She accused her Dishliev's brother-in-law, Brendo, of her son's death. Brendo is said to be linked to the Marguins.
Zapryanova was shot in 2007. "24 Chassa" reports that Tsankov had 12 sentences for fraud. There were 66 complaints against him by members of the public who he had swindled out of their money. There was evidence that Tsankov had made over 100,000 leva (roughly 50,000 euro) through fraud. Clouds started to thicken over his head after the arrest of the alleged drug boss Stefan "Sako" Bonev.
Tsankov was a police informer and had plans of taking up a career in politics, "168 Chassa" weekly writes.
***
According to "Ataka", the Marguins donated money to the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
***
The police are looking for another horror house, where the kidnapping ring, dubbed the Impudents, held their hostages. One of the arrested men confessed to a fifth location, but would not say where it was unless he got lighter sentence.The hideouts were used for two and a half years. Being part of a criminal group carries up to 15 years in prison. The law provides for a plea bargain with the prosecuting authorities, provided the suspects agree to spend at least ten years in prison, magistrates explained. The final decision is up to the court. Ring leaders might get an additional five years in prison.
THE HOME SCENE
Another 380,000 people run the risk of falling through the cracks of the health care system, said Katya Kashumova of the National Revenue Agency, quoted by "Douma", "Dnevnik" and "Klassa." The reason is changes to the Health Insurance Act effective January 1 under which the Health Insurance Fund will not cover costs for treatment if people have failed to medical insurance contributions for more than three months over a 36-month period. "Standart News" writes that those on the black list have until January 25 to settle their debts.
***
"Pari" headlines "Big Brother in Excise Industry." "24 Chassa" also reports on a new ordinance by the Finance Ministry which introduces smart systems for fiscal controlin wineries. The systems will send real-time data to control bodies. Some 260 wineries will be overseen by the customs authorities.
***
In an interview for "168 Chassa", Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov says that his ambition is not just for Bulgaria to emerge from the crisis, but to take the country to a mid-European level, which is doable in six years.
***
In an interview for "24 Chassa". Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova says that snow cleaning equipment will be stationed overnight in the capital's downtown when a snowfall is forecast. Fandakova also says that Sofia's draft budget allocates money for rehabilitation of parks and that the Sofia City Hall has agreed with the government to receive ownership of the Boris' Garden.
A "Pari" analysis raises the question whether Sofia's record-high budget will make any impact on the lives of Sofianites.
***
"Troud" runs an interview with Ombudsman Ginyo Ganev. Some 11,471 complaints were forwarded to the Ombudsman. Most numerous are those related to disputes over property ownership and petitions for revisions of urban development plans, followed by complaints over poor public services, social activities, labour rights, health care and education.
***
"Troud" carries an analysis on the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, founded by Ahmed Dogan and his associate on January 4 1990, which makes the point that the Movement never loses.
FOREIGN POLICY
In a leading feature "Troud" writes that as a row flared up between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his predecessor Sergei Stanishev, it emerged that Bulgaria has paid a ransom for a Bulgarian national, who was kidnapped in Somalia. Through its own sources "Troud" has confirmed that the incumbent government paid ransom money that was pledged by then Prime Minister Stanishev. Borissov and Stanishev refused to confirm the reports, saying that the information was classified. According to the daily, however, the national in question was a Bulgarian woman who was kidnapped by Somalis during Stanishev's tenure. She was working for a foreign company. After some written xchanges, Bulgaria promised to pay part of the ransom money. However, Borissov was surprised to find out that it was his cabinet that had to remit the money.
***
Foreign Ministry official Assen Makedonov, who until last year was head of the Domestic Diplomatic Properties Agency, has been charged with large-scale misuse of funds, reports "24 Chassa". The daily cites records of his overseas business travels which show a nine-day trip to Honolulu for 18,000 leva (roughly 9,000 euro), an eight-day trip to Orlando, Florida for 20,000 leva, a one-week conference in Las Vegas for 17,000 leva, business meetings in Bangkok, Dubai, Palm Beach and the French Riviera for a total of 265,561 leva. Makedonov self-approved his trips abroad and his reports. According to a source at the prosecution magistracy, the Makedonov case might as well get a European flavour, as prosecutors want to summon MEP Ivailo Kalfin, former Foreign Minister and Makedonov's superior, for questioning, writes "24 Chassa".
***
Seventh company will be authorized for committal to the NATO Mission in Kandahar, reports "Bulgarian Army" weekly.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day –Sofia, January 8,2010
· Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has made it clear that former PM and BSP leader Sergey Stanishev ordered a ransom to be paid for the release of 16 Bulgarian sailors who were kidnapped by Somali pirates last April. Borisov hit back at Bulgarian Socialist Party MPs who yesterday slammed him for paying part of an alleged USD 2 M ransom for the release of 16 Bulgarian sailors aboard the Malaspina Castle ship in the Gulf of Aden. He strongly suggested that his GERB government had been forced to pay the ransom that Stanishev had ordered.
· Bulgaria Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has stated that the center-right GERB government is looking at the possibility of dispensing with the original interface proposal to monitor internet traffic and mobile phone calls. Tsvetanov was speaking after a meeting with the initiative committee who are against the interface proposal which will allow the Ministry of Interior access through a direct interface to the data for the calls and the mobile devices positioning of every single citizen without any legal reason.
· 18 people with criminal records have been detained in special police operations in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, District Polcie Directorate – Plovdiv announced. During the operations, which took place between the beginning of the year and January 8, the police arrested seven people, whom they were searching nationwide, five men with drugs and six prostituting women.
Sofia, January 8
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
"Monitor" reports that the mafia has threatened to kill a magistrate."Zemya" quotes Prosecutor General Boris Velchev as saying that Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolai Kokinov has received death threats. Out of concern for his safety, Kokinov has been given security, writes "24 Chassa". When approached, Kokinov declined ANY comments. However, court officials say that they saw him accompanied by a bodyguard as early as Wednesday. Kokinov's Deputy Roman Vassilev, who is also said to have received security, declined to comment too.
***
"Standart News" writes that the Interior Ministry and the prosecuting magistracy are launching Operation "Bulgarian Octopus", which will round up gangsters with several pending cases.
***
In a "Telegraph" interview, Commissioner Valeri Yordanov, Chief of the Sofia police, says that footage from CCTV cameras near the place where radio host Boris Tsankov was killed is unclear and his killers could not be seen. Footage is yet to be analyzed by experts. The Commissioner says that the police have enough operational methods to get to Tsankov's physical killers.
***
"Troud" writes that just days before he was murdered, Boris "Bobby" Tsankov told magistrates that he was afraid of [alleged crime bosses] Stefan "Sako" Bonev, Meto Ilienski, Mityo "The Eyes", Georgi Vassilev's successors and Krassimir and Nikolai Marinovi, known as the Marguin Brothers. Tsankov said that he feared they might retaliate after he lifted the curtain on the underworld. The daily carries an interview with Lyudmil Rangelov, a defence counsel for the Marguins, who says that charges against the two are ridiculous. Given that the perpetrators are still at large, claims that Krassimir Marinov ordered the murder and Nikolai Marinov was his accomplice are beyond comprehension. According to Rangelov, the Marguins and Tsankov never crossed paths.
Tsankov ired the Marguins after he boasted he was going to make shocking revelations about some gang-style murders of recent years, "24 Chassa" reports. According to a high-ranking official of the Interior Ministry there is a grain of truth in Tsankov's disclosures, which made Krassimir and Nikolai Marinov feel threatened. According to the newspaper, there are solid leads that the brothers ordered Tsankov's murder. The modus operandi shows that the brothers had a hand in the killing. After boasting that they knew too much, mafia chronicler Georgi Stoev and Yordanka Zapryanova were also assassinated. Zapryanova, mother of shot financier Konstantin Dishliev, used to say that she knew vital information about the drug mafia and money laundering. She accused her Dishliev's brother-in-law, Brendo, of her son's death. Brendo is said to be linked to the Marguins.
Zapryanova was shot in 2007. "24 Chassa" reports that Tsankov had 12 sentences for fraud. There were 66 complaints against him by members of the public who he had swindled out of their money. There was evidence that Tsankov had made over 100,000 leva (roughly 50,000 euro) through fraud. Clouds started to thicken over his head after the arrest of the alleged drug boss Stefan "Sako" Bonev.
Tsankov was a police informer and had plans of taking up a career in politics, "168 Chassa" weekly writes.
***
According to "Ataka", the Marguins donated money to the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
***
The police are looking for another horror house, where the kidnapping ring, dubbed the Impudents, held their hostages. One of the arrested men confessed to a fifth location, but would not say where it was unless he got lighter sentence.The hideouts were used for two and a half years. Being part of a criminal group carries up to 15 years in prison. The law provides for a plea bargain with the prosecuting authorities, provided the suspects agree to spend at least ten years in prison, magistrates explained. The final decision is up to the court. Ring leaders might get an additional five years in prison.
THE HOME SCENE
Another 380,000 people run the risk of falling through the cracks of the health care system, said Katya Kashumova of the National Revenue Agency, quoted by "Douma", "Dnevnik" and "Klassa." The reason is changes to the Health Insurance Act effective January 1 under which the Health Insurance Fund will not cover costs for treatment if people have failed to medical insurance contributions for more than three months over a 36-month period. "Standart News" writes that those on the black list have until January 25 to settle their debts.
***
"Pari" headlines "Big Brother in Excise Industry." "24 Chassa" also reports on a new ordinance by the Finance Ministry which introduces smart systems for fiscal controlin wineries. The systems will send real-time data to control bodies. Some 260 wineries will be overseen by the customs authorities.
***
In an interview for "168 Chassa", Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov says that his ambition is not just for Bulgaria to emerge from the crisis, but to take the country to a mid-European level, which is doable in six years.
***
In an interview for "24 Chassa". Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova says that snow cleaning equipment will be stationed overnight in the capital's downtown when a snowfall is forecast. Fandakova also says that Sofia's draft budget allocates money for rehabilitation of parks and that the Sofia City Hall has agreed with the government to receive ownership of the Boris' Garden.
A "Pari" analysis raises the question whether Sofia's record-high budget will make any impact on the lives of Sofianites.
***
"Troud" runs an interview with Ombudsman Ginyo Ganev. Some 11,471 complaints were forwarded to the Ombudsman. Most numerous are those related to disputes over property ownership and petitions for revisions of urban development plans, followed by complaints over poor public services, social activities, labour rights, health care and education.
***
"Troud" carries an analysis on the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, founded by Ahmed Dogan and his associate on January 4 1990, which makes the point that the Movement never loses.
FOREIGN POLICY
In a leading feature "Troud" writes that as a row flared up between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his predecessor Sergei Stanishev, it emerged that Bulgaria has paid a ransom for a Bulgarian national, who was kidnapped in Somalia. Through its own sources "Troud" has confirmed that the incumbent government paid ransom money that was pledged by then Prime Minister Stanishev. Borissov and Stanishev refused to confirm the reports, saying that the information was classified. According to the daily, however, the national in question was a Bulgarian woman who was kidnapped by Somalis during Stanishev's tenure. She was working for a foreign company. After some written xchanges, Bulgaria promised to pay part of the ransom money. However, Borissov was surprised to find out that it was his cabinet that had to remit the money.
***
Foreign Ministry official Assen Makedonov, who until last year was head of the Domestic Diplomatic Properties Agency, has been charged with large-scale misuse of funds, reports "24 Chassa". The daily cites records of his overseas business travels which show a nine-day trip to Honolulu for 18,000 leva (roughly 9,000 euro), an eight-day trip to Orlando, Florida for 20,000 leva, a one-week conference in Las Vegas for 17,000 leva, business meetings in Bangkok, Dubai, Palm Beach and the French Riviera for a total of 265,561 leva. Makedonov self-approved his trips abroad and his reports. According to a source at the prosecution magistracy, the Makedonov case might as well get a European flavour, as prosecutors want to summon MEP Ivailo Kalfin, former Foreign Minister and Makedonov's superior, for questioning, writes "24 Chassa".
***
Seventh company will be authorized for committal to the NATO Mission in Kandahar, reports "Bulgarian Army" weekly.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day –Sofia, January 8,2010
· Bulgaria PM Boyko Borisov has made it clear that former PM and BSP leader Sergey Stanishev ordered a ransom to be paid for the release of 16 Bulgarian sailors who were kidnapped by Somali pirates last April. Borisov hit back at Bulgarian Socialist Party MPs who yesterday slammed him for paying part of an alleged USD 2 M ransom for the release of 16 Bulgarian sailors aboard the Malaspina Castle ship in the Gulf of Aden. He strongly suggested that his GERB government had been forced to pay the ransom that Stanishev had ordered.
· Bulgaria Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, has stated that the center-right GERB government is looking at the possibility of dispensing with the original interface proposal to monitor internet traffic and mobile phone calls. Tsvetanov was speaking after a meeting with the initiative committee who are against the interface proposal which will allow the Ministry of Interior access through a direct interface to the data for the calls and the mobile devices positioning of every single citizen without any legal reason.
· 18 people with criminal records have been detained in special police operations in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, District Polcie Directorate – Plovdiv announced. During the operations, which took place between the beginning of the year and January 8, the police arrested seven people, whom they were searching nationwide, five men with drugs and six prostituting women.
torsdag den 7. januar 2010
Bulgarian press review, January 7, 2010
Press Review
Sofia, January 7
THE HOME SCENE
In a leading headline "Sega" says that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov threatened with dismissal Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov who is responsible for Bulgarians abroad. The report on the topic in the daily says that Dimitrov's binding Turkey's bid to join the European Union with the problem with the compensations for the refugees from Eastern Thrace in Bulgaria proved a big diplomatic gaffe. In an interview to BTV on Wednesday evening Borissov said that he has warned Dimitrov with dismissal. Borissov argued in the interview that Dimitrov's statement about the compensations wanted by Bulgarian refugees might have come form a museum curator or a historian but not from a cabinet member. Some of the newspapers' reports on the topic say that Dimitrov's statement earned him a "yellow card".
Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raikov is quoted as saying that Bulgaria's position is that there is no direct link between unresolved Bulgaria-Turkey issues and the enlargement of the European Union.
* * *
The murder Tuesday of notorious TV and radio anchorman Boris "Boby" Tsankov (30) continues to be a headline news item. On Wednesday the prosecution authority pressed charges against Krassimir Marinov for instigating Tsankov's murder, the newspapers write. Marinov himself was arrested in the wake of Tsankov's murder. He and his younger brother, Nikolai Marinov, aka the Marguins brothers, are believed to be involved in organizing several contract killings in the past years.
"Sega" notes that the charges against Krassimir Marinov for Tsankov's killing were pressed shortly before the expiry of the 24 hours of his remand. Now that the indictment has been made Marinov will remain in custody.
"Sega" asks in a comment when the Interior Ministry will be able to react properly to what the author describes as the "impudent" provocations of criminals. The author goes on to say that in terms of domestic politics, Tsankov's killing is symptomatic and "a very impudent blink of the eye of the criminal world to the powers that be". The latest murder took place just shortly after operations of the Interior Ministry, the services and the prosecuting magistracy against kidnappers and highway robbers which were commended as having hit the highest levels of organized crime, says the author.
"Standart News" notes that Tsankov was a thug, and not an investigative reporter as described by the Western press. The author of the comment says that Tsankov was a typical cheater of the transition to a market democracy who conned people during broadcasts. The Western media got it wrong in their reports of Tsankov's killing but there is nothing surprising in this given that the bulk of what takes place in Bulgaria is like an encounter with an UFO to the civilized world, says the author.
* * *
In an interview to "24 Chassa" Krassimir Velchev, organizational secretary of GERB and floor co-leader of the party in Parliament, voices fears that the criminals may now target GERB leader and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Velchev says that the mission of GERB and Borissov is to "get things right in Bulgaria". However, continues Velchev, Borissov has made many enemies in the past ten years, both in the criminal world and the political elite.
Velchev says also that his is equally concerned about Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. GERB's organizational secretary describes Tsvetanov as the only person in the government who undertook many decisive steps, as should do all ministries.
* * *
"Troud" quotes National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva as saying that as a citizen she agrees to have her e-mails looked up by the Interior Ministry provided that this helps ensure her and her family's security. She commented amendments to the Electronic Communications Act and said that there will be new revisions between the first and second reading debate of the bill but that the philosophy and spirit of the law will remain the same as it was voted at the first reading discussion.
* * *
All of the Thursday newspapers report on the approval Wednesday by the cabinet of a bill on weapons, ammunition, explosive devices and pyrotechnic articles control. Under the bill, control is introduced for the first time over non-firearm weapons (gas, signal and air guns) and non-firearm ammunition. Anyone possessing such items will have to declare them in the Interior Ministry. Failure to comply with this requirement carries a fine of 2000 leva and/or pecuniary penalty of 10,000 leva.
* * *
Interviewed by "Monitor" social analyst Antonii Gulubov says that a party's political system undergoes deep transformation which does not end with the outcome of general elections. He says that a substantial portion of the political parties in Bulgaria have lost voters' trust. The whole responsibility and attention is now focused on GERB. According to Gulubov no other but GERB is the most serious warrant for the stability in Bulgaria, for accelerating reforms. GERB lifted the umbrella above organized crime, Gulubov says.
* * *
In an interview to "Troud" Blagoevgrad, Southern Bulgaria, Mayor and Member of the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Kostadin Paskalev says that at the moment BSP is not "the motor" of a new left project. He argues that the majority of people at the moment espouse leftist ideas. Paskalev says that since there are carriers of the idea, it is apparent that there should have a structure to reflect these ideas. He says further that it is only natural and normal for people mostly involved in intellectual labor to take up the implementation of such a project, i.e. the creation of an entity espousing such ideas. BSP should be the driving force of such a creation, he says. However, whether BSP is capable of realizing this is another matter altogether, says Paskalev.
ECONOMY
Political analyst Ivan Krustev argues in "24 Chassa" that the middle class and the business in Bulgaria are in for a hard year. Krustev notes that in social terms, this is the first crisis to have hit not only the middle class of old, the one which made its fortunes in socialist times, but also the new one which emerged after the democratic reforms. Exactly people in their 40s and 50s who had somehow succeeded in finding their place in the new economic reality all of a sudden found them selves at the losing end, says Krustev. What is more, businesses which were among the best integrated in the new environment, had access to loans and worked using Western business practices too found themselves at a loss. According to Krustev, the wave of lay-offs and unemployment has not spared Bulgaria but is about to hit it. The social consequences of the economic downturn are to be strongest felt in 2010, says Krustev.
* * *
Economic analyst Georgi Angelov recommends in "Novinar" reduction of social security contributions. He says that the first signs of the end of the recession here, mostly in exports, have emerged. However, when and how quickly the economy will recover depends most of all on the cabinet policies, Angelov argues. If the government maintains financial stability and focuses on reforms which enhance the potential of the economy, the recovery will be there sooner and will be stronger.
Among the achievements he wants to see realized in 2010 the Angelov singles out improving the business climate, modernization of the institutions, reduction of social security contributions and privatization.
* * *
Interviewed by "Troud" Executive Director of the Sofia Commodity Exchange Vassil Simov says that the main sign to prove that the world is emerging out of the crisis will be sharp fluctuations in prices. Rapid appreciation of certain goods and steep deprecation of others will mean that free financial resources have come on the market and that the players have the power to buy and sell huge quantities of goods, says Simov. Regretfully, Bulgaria is far from such an occurrence. The economic situation in the country is difficult, the business has to cope with huge obstacles in order to work normally. "Money is scarce - in construction, industry and trade," says Simov.
* * *
"Cabinet Surrenders about Bonuses to Magistrates" caps a report in "Sega" which says that after two weeks of an outright war and dramatic negotiations between the judiciary and the cabinet on Wednesday it emerged that after all magistrates will get the 2009 Christmas bonuses the Supreme Judicial Council had voted at the end of the year. The outcome was unexpected as on the morning Finance Minister Simeon Djankov had notified in writing the Supreme Judicial Council that there was not a legal basis allowing him to sanction the payment of the already voted Christmas bonuses. An opposite decision was however reached later in the day following a series of long meetings involving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Prosecutor General Boris Velchev and the ministers of justice, of the interior and of finance. The Council of Ministers is expected next week to vote a decision guaranteeing the judiciary's financial independence, Justice Minister Margarita Popova said after the meeting.
* * *
"European Prices in Healthcare" caps a leading report in "Zemya" which quotes Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev as saying that the prices of medical services in Bulgaria will reach European levels. What this means is that the state will continue to cover the respective amounts laid down in the clinical paths bit the difference for the more expensive services included in such clinical paths will be paid by patients. Nanev is quoted as saying that the established global and European standards in medicine should start to be applied in Bulgaria as well which will ensure an even higher quality of healthcare services in this country.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 7, 2010
· Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov has warned Bozhidar Dimitrov, the minister for Bulgarians abroad, that a repeat of the behavior that saw Dimitrov spark tensions by publicly threatening that Sofia would veto Turkey's EU accession efforts would cost him his Cabinet job.
· 380 000 Bulgarians may lose their rights to free healthcare after changes in the insurance laws. According to the new laws people who have not paid their health insurance contributions for a total of three months over the last three years will lose their rights to free health care. Health insurance payments have jumped almost 50% per month from the start of 2010.
Sofia, January 7
THE HOME SCENE
In a leading headline "Sega" says that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov threatened with dismissal Minister without Portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov who is responsible for Bulgarians abroad. The report on the topic in the daily says that Dimitrov's binding Turkey's bid to join the European Union with the problem with the compensations for the refugees from Eastern Thrace in Bulgaria proved a big diplomatic gaffe. In an interview to BTV on Wednesday evening Borissov said that he has warned Dimitrov with dismissal. Borissov argued in the interview that Dimitrov's statement about the compensations wanted by Bulgarian refugees might have come form a museum curator or a historian but not from a cabinet member. Some of the newspapers' reports on the topic say that Dimitrov's statement earned him a "yellow card".
Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raikov is quoted as saying that Bulgaria's position is that there is no direct link between unresolved Bulgaria-Turkey issues and the enlargement of the European Union.
* * *
The murder Tuesday of notorious TV and radio anchorman Boris "Boby" Tsankov (30) continues to be a headline news item. On Wednesday the prosecution authority pressed charges against Krassimir Marinov for instigating Tsankov's murder, the newspapers write. Marinov himself was arrested in the wake of Tsankov's murder. He and his younger brother, Nikolai Marinov, aka the Marguins brothers, are believed to be involved in organizing several contract killings in the past years.
"Sega" notes that the charges against Krassimir Marinov for Tsankov's killing were pressed shortly before the expiry of the 24 hours of his remand. Now that the indictment has been made Marinov will remain in custody.
"Sega" asks in a comment when the Interior Ministry will be able to react properly to what the author describes as the "impudent" provocations of criminals. The author goes on to say that in terms of domestic politics, Tsankov's killing is symptomatic and "a very impudent blink of the eye of the criminal world to the powers that be". The latest murder took place just shortly after operations of the Interior Ministry, the services and the prosecuting magistracy against kidnappers and highway robbers which were commended as having hit the highest levels of organized crime, says the author.
"Standart News" notes that Tsankov was a thug, and not an investigative reporter as described by the Western press. The author of the comment says that Tsankov was a typical cheater of the transition to a market democracy who conned people during broadcasts. The Western media got it wrong in their reports of Tsankov's killing but there is nothing surprising in this given that the bulk of what takes place in Bulgaria is like an encounter with an UFO to the civilized world, says the author.
* * *
In an interview to "24 Chassa" Krassimir Velchev, organizational secretary of GERB and floor co-leader of the party in Parliament, voices fears that the criminals may now target GERB leader and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Velchev says that the mission of GERB and Borissov is to "get things right in Bulgaria". However, continues Velchev, Borissov has made many enemies in the past ten years, both in the criminal world and the political elite.
Velchev says also that his is equally concerned about Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. GERB's organizational secretary describes Tsvetanov as the only person in the government who undertook many decisive steps, as should do all ministries.
* * *
"Troud" quotes National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva as saying that as a citizen she agrees to have her e-mails looked up by the Interior Ministry provided that this helps ensure her and her family's security. She commented amendments to the Electronic Communications Act and said that there will be new revisions between the first and second reading debate of the bill but that the philosophy and spirit of the law will remain the same as it was voted at the first reading discussion.
* * *
All of the Thursday newspapers report on the approval Wednesday by the cabinet of a bill on weapons, ammunition, explosive devices and pyrotechnic articles control. Under the bill, control is introduced for the first time over non-firearm weapons (gas, signal and air guns) and non-firearm ammunition. Anyone possessing such items will have to declare them in the Interior Ministry. Failure to comply with this requirement carries a fine of 2000 leva and/or pecuniary penalty of 10,000 leva.
* * *
Interviewed by "Monitor" social analyst Antonii Gulubov says that a party's political system undergoes deep transformation which does not end with the outcome of general elections. He says that a substantial portion of the political parties in Bulgaria have lost voters' trust. The whole responsibility and attention is now focused on GERB. According to Gulubov no other but GERB is the most serious warrant for the stability in Bulgaria, for accelerating reforms. GERB lifted the umbrella above organized crime, Gulubov says.
* * *
In an interview to "Troud" Blagoevgrad, Southern Bulgaria, Mayor and Member of the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Kostadin Paskalev says that at the moment BSP is not "the motor" of a new left project. He argues that the majority of people at the moment espouse leftist ideas. Paskalev says that since there are carriers of the idea, it is apparent that there should have a structure to reflect these ideas. He says further that it is only natural and normal for people mostly involved in intellectual labor to take up the implementation of such a project, i.e. the creation of an entity espousing such ideas. BSP should be the driving force of such a creation, he says. However, whether BSP is capable of realizing this is another matter altogether, says Paskalev.
ECONOMY
Political analyst Ivan Krustev argues in "24 Chassa" that the middle class and the business in Bulgaria are in for a hard year. Krustev notes that in social terms, this is the first crisis to have hit not only the middle class of old, the one which made its fortunes in socialist times, but also the new one which emerged after the democratic reforms. Exactly people in their 40s and 50s who had somehow succeeded in finding their place in the new economic reality all of a sudden found them selves at the losing end, says Krustev. What is more, businesses which were among the best integrated in the new environment, had access to loans and worked using Western business practices too found themselves at a loss. According to Krustev, the wave of lay-offs and unemployment has not spared Bulgaria but is about to hit it. The social consequences of the economic downturn are to be strongest felt in 2010, says Krustev.
* * *
Economic analyst Georgi Angelov recommends in "Novinar" reduction of social security contributions. He says that the first signs of the end of the recession here, mostly in exports, have emerged. However, when and how quickly the economy will recover depends most of all on the cabinet policies, Angelov argues. If the government maintains financial stability and focuses on reforms which enhance the potential of the economy, the recovery will be there sooner and will be stronger.
Among the achievements he wants to see realized in 2010 the Angelov singles out improving the business climate, modernization of the institutions, reduction of social security contributions and privatization.
* * *
Interviewed by "Troud" Executive Director of the Sofia Commodity Exchange Vassil Simov says that the main sign to prove that the world is emerging out of the crisis will be sharp fluctuations in prices. Rapid appreciation of certain goods and steep deprecation of others will mean that free financial resources have come on the market and that the players have the power to buy and sell huge quantities of goods, says Simov. Regretfully, Bulgaria is far from such an occurrence. The economic situation in the country is difficult, the business has to cope with huge obstacles in order to work normally. "Money is scarce - in construction, industry and trade," says Simov.
* * *
"Cabinet Surrenders about Bonuses to Magistrates" caps a report in "Sega" which says that after two weeks of an outright war and dramatic negotiations between the judiciary and the cabinet on Wednesday it emerged that after all magistrates will get the 2009 Christmas bonuses the Supreme Judicial Council had voted at the end of the year. The outcome was unexpected as on the morning Finance Minister Simeon Djankov had notified in writing the Supreme Judicial Council that there was not a legal basis allowing him to sanction the payment of the already voted Christmas bonuses. An opposite decision was however reached later in the day following a series of long meetings involving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Prosecutor General Boris Velchev and the ministers of justice, of the interior and of finance. The Council of Ministers is expected next week to vote a decision guaranteeing the judiciary's financial independence, Justice Minister Margarita Popova said after the meeting.
* * *
"European Prices in Healthcare" caps a leading report in "Zemya" which quotes Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev as saying that the prices of medical services in Bulgaria will reach European levels. What this means is that the state will continue to cover the respective amounts laid down in the clinical paths bit the difference for the more expensive services included in such clinical paths will be paid by patients. Nanev is quoted as saying that the established global and European standards in medicine should start to be applied in Bulgaria as well which will ensure an even higher quality of healthcare services in this country.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 7, 2010
· Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov has warned Bozhidar Dimitrov, the minister for Bulgarians abroad, that a repeat of the behavior that saw Dimitrov spark tensions by publicly threatening that Sofia would veto Turkey's EU accession efforts would cost him his Cabinet job.
· 380 000 Bulgarians may lose their rights to free healthcare after changes in the insurance laws. According to the new laws people who have not paid their health insurance contributions for a total of three months over the last three years will lose their rights to free health care. Health insurance payments have jumped almost 50% per month from the start of 2010.
tirsdag den 5. januar 2010
Bulgarian press review, January 5, 2010
Press Review
Sofia, January 5
HOME SCENE
The majority is mulling cutting the number of constituencies, "Sega" reports. The topic will be discussed during the drafting of the new Electoral Code, it emerged on Monday. A group is expected to start work on it next week. The need to change the constituencies has drawn comments from electoral law expert Prof. Mihail Konstantinov several times since the present parliament was elected. It has been suggested that the existing 31 constituencies be reduced to 20.
***
"Troud" says that the nine MPs of the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) party, led by Yane Yanev, will not attend the plenary sittings at the start of the new session from January 13 until they go into opposition. The daily quotes OLJ member Tsvetan Tsvetanov. The reason he gives is that the MPs will be touring the country to meet people. This will also help the party keep its promise to support GERB during its first six months in office ending on January 27. However, relations between the two parties were strained a lot earlier.
"Monitor" runs an analysis on how Yanev did not wait until January 27. The writer says the party's abdication from Parliament is a poorly concealed attempt to divert public attention from OLJ's disintegration. Apparently, there will not be a coup as one of the spokespersons said, but OLJ members are increasingly talking about replacing Yanev, or else some will quit and look for another party. This would hardly be a tragedy for Yanev, who is used to flitting from one party to another, the story says.
***
"Sega" reports that after the operation codenamed "The Impudent" the police have launched another one, "The Robbers". After the first operation led to the arrest of more than 30 people involved in an abduction gang, the Interior Ministry is taking on the rest of the criminals, it emerged from a statement by the Ministry's Chief Secretary Kalin Georgiev. The operation codenamed "The Robbers" is targeting mostly drug pushers, car thieves and robbers.
***
"Troud" reports that GERB will hold the shortest party congress on Sunday. It is scheduled to end at 3:30 pm. Boyko Borissov and Tsvetan Tsvetanov are expected to be re-elected chairman and deputy chairman. However, the term of the executive commission is ending and an election must be held at the forum. Borissov argues that no one substitutes players when the team is successful. Still, some of the current members are likely to drop out.
***
In a "24 Chassa" interview Ivan Kostov, leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), says people talk that he is running the country to anger Borissov. Kostov says it is only to be expected that the power-holders should listen to DSB. "For instance, when the budget was updated, the debate was basically between DSB and the Bulgarian Socialist Party. We stand up for the principles that DSB shares with GERB. On the one hand, we want to help, and on the other, GERB badly needs help. This party has not been in office. It thinks that the world starts with it," Kostov says.
THE ECONOMY
In "Standart News" Economy Minister Traicho Traikov calls on Bulgarians to look for new opportunities. He says that although things are unstable now, new partners will emerge who have not looked at Bulgaria before. New opportunities will appear in different countries. In addition, the opportunities offered by EU programmes should be followed carefully. He also says that Bulgartabac will be sold by mid-year, shares of the Bulgarian Energy Holding will be listed on the stock exchange, and Kintex's privatization still is problematic, its chief assets being people and contacts.
Interviewed by "Sega", sociologist Zhivko Georgiev says that during its first six months the cabinet tried to cope with the crisis with the wrong methods. He says it became an obsession to end the year with a balanced budget or at least with a minimal deficit - a pattern which, to some extent, was first used by the State, to be followed by widespread default of obligations to lending institutions, partners and customers which paralysed the economy. Georgiev says he is afraid that when the world starts emerging from the crisis, the Bulgarian economic players will lose what little ground they had.
Financier Andrei Prumov says in "Klassa" that 2010 will bring growth contrary to the government's forecast. His prediction is based on the optimistic end of 2009 in the world financial markets and on a rise in Bulgarian stock exchange indexes. This means that investors predominantly expect to see restored economic growth in 2010 despite the problems left behind by the financial crisis. Prumov predicts economic growth in Bulgaria in 2010, based on statistics which show green shoots both in the markets and in many industries.Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov says in "Troud" that the number one task in 2010 is to bring back to normal the operation of the Agriculture Fund, especially concerning the Rural Development Programme, so as to meet the expectations of municipalities and farmers, because it has the largest funds, but is also plagued by the worst problems. What is coming up next is the start of the registration of agricultural producers for assistance in February.
"Sega" headlines a story "Djankov Concedes He's Holding Money Back to Keep Up Bulgaria's Image in EU". The public purse had enough money to pay out to doctors, judges, farmers and disabled people at the end of 2009 but Finance Minister Simeon Djankov did not approve the payments. He wanted to keep the year-end deficit below the 500-million-lev mark, which is the best achievement in the EU. "We need this to show the Europeans, the European Commission, that we can join the euro area, as well as to attract investors," Djankov said. However, economists say in "Sega" that the Commission needs to see more than the reported deficit - it wants to see the amounts carried over to 2010 as well.
"Sega" writes that doctors will demand money from all patients from Tuesday. Doctors threatened unprecedented protests at delayed payments. Patients will have to pay for all medical services they receive in hospitals and from their general practitioners unless the National Health Insurance Fund pays the November allocation to hospitals and GPs on Monday, said Tsvetan Raichinov, President of the Medical Association.
BULGARIA, EU
"Sega" comments that the bugbear of safeguard clauses for Bulgaria is gone after the three-year trial period. Still, Brussels has options to keep Borissov's government on its toes. This year the EU has 123,000 million euro, most of which is intended to accelerate the development of the member states and bring closer their living standards. Bulgaria has a choice: to remain poor with a prosperous top crust, or to make an effort to catch up with the countries it wants to look like. The trouble is that the never-changing Establishment must decide what sacrifices to make to gain access to EU money, which, though no longer officially frozen, still is out of reach.
Nadezhda Neinski MEP says in "Troud" that the choice of a Bulgarian EU commissioner should have been discussed. It is obvious that GERB had its way by nominating Rumiana Jeleva, which is the party's right. Still, it would have been better if a debate had been held about the qualities and the portfolio of the Bulgarian commissioner, Neinski says, adding that this is her idea of a democratic election. Neinski, member of the Union of Democratic Forces, says she will support Jeleva because they both are from the European People's Party.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 5.2010
· Notorious TV and radio anchorman Boby Tsankov was killed in a shootout in central Sofia in broad daylight around noon on Tuesday. Tsankov has recently finished a book on Bulgaria's underworld where he is believed to have had connections. He has recently started to become known as the country’s new mafia stories writer, not unlike Georgi Stoev who was shot in 2008. The Interior Ministry said that two other men are in hospital to be treated for wounds from the shootout.
· Heavy snow across North and Western Bulgaria has caused traffic delays and has bought much of the capital Sofia to a halt as traffic jams have built up in the city center. The Sofia Municipality has reported that most of the public transport lines in the city are being delayed by up to 1 hour and even with the ongoing winter cleaning efforts drivers reported problems across the city with uncleaned roads and ice. Huge traffic jams in the center of Sofia have brought many people to a halt. Bulgarian traffic police reported over 150 accidents in Sofia because of the icy conditions on Tuesday morning.
· Bulgaria’s Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, stated early Tuesday that Bulgaria’s criminal contingent must be bought into the public eye “which unfortunately has not yet been done.” Tsvetanov said that the arrest of the high-profile kidnappers’ gang busted recently in the special operation codenamed “The Impudent” had shown that the Interior Ministry could act within the law to deal correctly with bandits.
Sofia, January 5
HOME SCENE
The majority is mulling cutting the number of constituencies, "Sega" reports. The topic will be discussed during the drafting of the new Electoral Code, it emerged on Monday. A group is expected to start work on it next week. The need to change the constituencies has drawn comments from electoral law expert Prof. Mihail Konstantinov several times since the present parliament was elected. It has been suggested that the existing 31 constituencies be reduced to 20.
***
"Troud" says that the nine MPs of the Order, Lawfulness, Justice (OLJ) party, led by Yane Yanev, will not attend the plenary sittings at the start of the new session from January 13 until they go into opposition. The daily quotes OLJ member Tsvetan Tsvetanov. The reason he gives is that the MPs will be touring the country to meet people. This will also help the party keep its promise to support GERB during its first six months in office ending on January 27. However, relations between the two parties were strained a lot earlier.
"Monitor" runs an analysis on how Yanev did not wait until January 27. The writer says the party's abdication from Parliament is a poorly concealed attempt to divert public attention from OLJ's disintegration. Apparently, there will not be a coup as one of the spokespersons said, but OLJ members are increasingly talking about replacing Yanev, or else some will quit and look for another party. This would hardly be a tragedy for Yanev, who is used to flitting from one party to another, the story says.
***
"Sega" reports that after the operation codenamed "The Impudent" the police have launched another one, "The Robbers". After the first operation led to the arrest of more than 30 people involved in an abduction gang, the Interior Ministry is taking on the rest of the criminals, it emerged from a statement by the Ministry's Chief Secretary Kalin Georgiev. The operation codenamed "The Robbers" is targeting mostly drug pushers, car thieves and robbers.
***
"Troud" reports that GERB will hold the shortest party congress on Sunday. It is scheduled to end at 3:30 pm. Boyko Borissov and Tsvetan Tsvetanov are expected to be re-elected chairman and deputy chairman. However, the term of the executive commission is ending and an election must be held at the forum. Borissov argues that no one substitutes players when the team is successful. Still, some of the current members are likely to drop out.
***
In a "24 Chassa" interview Ivan Kostov, leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), says people talk that he is running the country to anger Borissov. Kostov says it is only to be expected that the power-holders should listen to DSB. "For instance, when the budget was updated, the debate was basically between DSB and the Bulgarian Socialist Party. We stand up for the principles that DSB shares with GERB. On the one hand, we want to help, and on the other, GERB badly needs help. This party has not been in office. It thinks that the world starts with it," Kostov says.
THE ECONOMY
In "Standart News" Economy Minister Traicho Traikov calls on Bulgarians to look for new opportunities. He says that although things are unstable now, new partners will emerge who have not looked at Bulgaria before. New opportunities will appear in different countries. In addition, the opportunities offered by EU programmes should be followed carefully. He also says that Bulgartabac will be sold by mid-year, shares of the Bulgarian Energy Holding will be listed on the stock exchange, and Kintex's privatization still is problematic, its chief assets being people and contacts.
Interviewed by "Sega", sociologist Zhivko Georgiev says that during its first six months the cabinet tried to cope with the crisis with the wrong methods. He says it became an obsession to end the year with a balanced budget or at least with a minimal deficit - a pattern which, to some extent, was first used by the State, to be followed by widespread default of obligations to lending institutions, partners and customers which paralysed the economy. Georgiev says he is afraid that when the world starts emerging from the crisis, the Bulgarian economic players will lose what little ground they had.
Financier Andrei Prumov says in "Klassa" that 2010 will bring growth contrary to the government's forecast. His prediction is based on the optimistic end of 2009 in the world financial markets and on a rise in Bulgarian stock exchange indexes. This means that investors predominantly expect to see restored economic growth in 2010 despite the problems left behind by the financial crisis. Prumov predicts economic growth in Bulgaria in 2010, based on statistics which show green shoots both in the markets and in many industries.Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov says in "Troud" that the number one task in 2010 is to bring back to normal the operation of the Agriculture Fund, especially concerning the Rural Development Programme, so as to meet the expectations of municipalities and farmers, because it has the largest funds, but is also plagued by the worst problems. What is coming up next is the start of the registration of agricultural producers for assistance in February.
"Sega" headlines a story "Djankov Concedes He's Holding Money Back to Keep Up Bulgaria's Image in EU". The public purse had enough money to pay out to doctors, judges, farmers and disabled people at the end of 2009 but Finance Minister Simeon Djankov did not approve the payments. He wanted to keep the year-end deficit below the 500-million-lev mark, which is the best achievement in the EU. "We need this to show the Europeans, the European Commission, that we can join the euro area, as well as to attract investors," Djankov said. However, economists say in "Sega" that the Commission needs to see more than the reported deficit - it wants to see the amounts carried over to 2010 as well.
"Sega" writes that doctors will demand money from all patients from Tuesday. Doctors threatened unprecedented protests at delayed payments. Patients will have to pay for all medical services they receive in hospitals and from their general practitioners unless the National Health Insurance Fund pays the November allocation to hospitals and GPs on Monday, said Tsvetan Raichinov, President of the Medical Association.
BULGARIA, EU
"Sega" comments that the bugbear of safeguard clauses for Bulgaria is gone after the three-year trial period. Still, Brussels has options to keep Borissov's government on its toes. This year the EU has 123,000 million euro, most of which is intended to accelerate the development of the member states and bring closer their living standards. Bulgaria has a choice: to remain poor with a prosperous top crust, or to make an effort to catch up with the countries it wants to look like. The trouble is that the never-changing Establishment must decide what sacrifices to make to gain access to EU money, which, though no longer officially frozen, still is out of reach.
Nadezhda Neinski MEP says in "Troud" that the choice of a Bulgarian EU commissioner should have been discussed. It is obvious that GERB had its way by nominating Rumiana Jeleva, which is the party's right. Still, it would have been better if a debate had been held about the qualities and the portfolio of the Bulgarian commissioner, Neinski says, adding that this is her idea of a democratic election. Neinski, member of the Union of Democratic Forces, says she will support Jeleva because they both are from the European People's Party.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 5.2010
· Notorious TV and radio anchorman Boby Tsankov was killed in a shootout in central Sofia in broad daylight around noon on Tuesday. Tsankov has recently finished a book on Bulgaria's underworld where he is believed to have had connections. He has recently started to become known as the country’s new mafia stories writer, not unlike Georgi Stoev who was shot in 2008. The Interior Ministry said that two other men are in hospital to be treated for wounds from the shootout.
· Heavy snow across North and Western Bulgaria has caused traffic delays and has bought much of the capital Sofia to a halt as traffic jams have built up in the city center. The Sofia Municipality has reported that most of the public transport lines in the city are being delayed by up to 1 hour and even with the ongoing winter cleaning efforts drivers reported problems across the city with uncleaned roads and ice. Huge traffic jams in the center of Sofia have brought many people to a halt. Bulgarian traffic police reported over 150 accidents in Sofia because of the icy conditions on Tuesday morning.
· Bulgaria’s Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, stated early Tuesday that Bulgaria’s criminal contingent must be bought into the public eye “which unfortunately has not yet been done.” Tsvetanov said that the arrest of the high-profile kidnappers’ gang busted recently in the special operation codenamed “The Impudent” had shown that the Interior Ministry could act within the law to deal correctly with bandits.
mandag den 4. januar 2010
Bulgarian press review, January 4, 2010
Press Review
Sofia, January 4
ECONOMY
"Standard News" leads with an interview with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov entitled "Private Business Will Get Us Out of the Mire", He says that he stands behind each and every step of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov and that Djankov did the impossible in the situation he was placed in. "We saved Bulgaria from bankruptcy," says the Prime Minister.
He also says that the Interior Ministry is launching a large-scale operation against what he calls "neighborhood bandits".
***
In "Dnevnik", business representatives are quoted as saying that the New Year will be difficult for some of the most important sectors of the Bulgarian economy and an improvement should not be expected before the second half of 2010. Economic analysts are unanimous that the worst problems will be the shortage of cash, lack of foreign investment and unemployment which will continue to grow to some 11 per cent. Two key sectors, construction and tourism, should be prepared for a tough year, says "Dnevnik". "The forecast is gloomy: there is no construction and the order books are thin," says Ivan Boykov, Executive Director of the Chamber of Construction. He says further that the big hopes are in government procurement but the infrastructure projects cannot offset completely the loss of investment by the private sector. The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria expects some recovery in agriculture and in the green energy industry. Their forecasts are also optimistic for the pharmaceutical and the food industry, and pessimistic for machine building.
The paper also observes that the banking sector is much more optimistic than the rest. United Bulgarian Bank CEO Stilian Vutev expects a growth in lending of 7-8 per cent. He believes that towards the middle of the year the level of interest on credits will start to be affected favorably by the measures that the government is expected to take. Postbank CEO Assen Yagodin comments that there is no economic logic in having the price of deposits go further up, which is certain to keep from rising further or even push down the interest on credits.
Agricultural producers and the food industry disagree with the grim forecasts, "Dnevnik" writes further. The farming sector and the processing industry connected with it were the only ones to see a modest growth in 2009, and people in this business have a reason to expect a stronger growth in 2010. Last year had relatively good weather conditions and grain producers saw good financial results.
***
Close to 86 million leva in state receivables were collected as at the end of November 2009 which is half the previous year's amount, the ex-Executive Director of the defunct State Receivables Agency, Dimana Miteva, tells "Klassa". As of January 1, 2010, the Agency is part of the structure of the National Revenue Agency. Miteva says that the downward trend in the collection of receivables has persisted for two years now. In 2008 the Agency reported revenue of just over 185 million leva, down from 281 million in 2007. The reason for the decline in revenue is that businesses set aside less resource for acquisition of immoveable and moveable assets which the Agency auctions, Miteva say.
***
In the best-case scenario, it will take one more painful year for the crisis to aggravate further, before a recovery is anywhere in sight, financial analyst Krassimir Angarski tells "Troud". He says that the State is stifled by an oversize administration.
***
Bulgaria's recovery from the economic downturn will be L-shaped, Lyubomir Hristov of the Managing Board of the Institute of Certified Financial Consultants, says in a "Dnevnik" interview. The paper recalls that Hristov was recently named by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as one of his three economic advisors, along with Kristalina Georgieva of the World Bank and Ilian Mihov of the INSEAD graduate business school.
Hristov expects poverty among the elderly to become a national problem in Bulgaria - financial and social - in 2020-25.
***
The crisis held up the upward movement of local taxes and charges, "Sega" writes in a front-page story. Disproving the expectations of the National Association of Municipalities, the vast majority of municipalities are keeping unchanged their taxes or only slightly adjusting them this year. Even at places where the mayors said before the New Year that they would have to increase taxes to be able to pay the debts, taxes have stayed unchanged. At most places the local authorities are looking for additional sources of funding.
THE HOME SCENE
Under the headline "Borissov Picks the Papandreou Model for Himself", "Troud" writes that Prime Minister Borissov is very much likely to borrow the Greek model where the government leader is also the nation's top diplomat. The story quotes the Prime Minister as saying in a "Troud" interview that he would name on January 13-14 "the handsome and smart man" who would take over from Rumiana Jeleva as Foreign Minister. ["Handsome and smart man" was first used by Foreign Minister Jeleva when reporters asked her who would inherit her office when she becomes Bulgaria's representative in the European Commission]."But with this definition she gave, I see nobody other than myself! How could I tell you who are more handsome and smarter than me," said the Prime Minister.
"Troud" observes that it is no secret that Boyko Borissov likes much his Greek counterpart George Papandreou.
***
"Douma" leads with a story entitled "Crisis Affects Birth Rates". The paper quotes knowledgeable sources as saying that the baby boom will peak around Easter after which the majority of Bulgarian families will be unlikely to plan having more children. This will be an immediate effect of the economic crisis and the insecurity of jobs and incomes, the paper says.
***
"Douma" also reports that as of this year family doctors will be paid 7.70 leva for each checkup of a child, up from 5.30 leva in 2009. Like before, no fee will be charged for a child's visit to the doctor. Also from January 1, two vaccines have been added to the national children's vaccination calendar and parents will not be charged for these: a pneumococcal vaccine and the 5-component combination vaccine (against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and Haemophilus influenza type B).
***
There is an idea for a building in central Sofia that currently seats the party HQ of the National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS), to be taken for government use, unidentified sources of the ruling majority told "Klassa". The reason is that Sofia doesn't have enough buildings for the state administration and NMSS is no longer represented in Parliament and has no reason to enjoy the luxury of such a big building, the paper writes.
***
A good alternation of Left and Right government produces the best result for a country, Spanish Ambassador to Bulgaria Jorge Fuentes Monzonis-Vilallonga says in a "Douma" interview. A democratic country which is a member of the EU should have no areas of insecurity, the diplomat says.
***
"President Georgi Purvanov awards an order a week," "Sega" says in a front-page story. Over his one-and-a-half presidential mandate, he has presented a total of 592 state orders and at least 40 have received the Presidential Badge of Honour - an award he introduced in 2002 and presents at his discretion. Only in his first two years as President, he presented as many Balkan Range Orders (142) - the highest state award - as his predecessors Peter Stoyanov and Zhelyu Zhelev did together. By the end of Purvanov's second term as president in 2011, another 200 recipients or more will get state honors, "Sega" says.
***
"Monitor" and "Telegraf" quote unidentified police sources as saying that one more member of the group of kidnappers known by the name law-enforcers gave them - The Impudent - which police recently broke up, has agreed to cooperate with the law-enforcers. This is no other than the suspected ring leader, Ivaylo "Yozhi" Evtimov. He reportedly told prosecutors that he was not the gang's master, was only put in command for some of the kidnappings and three other persons were the true masterminds but they were not among the men arrested by police.
***
"Novinar" leads with the new hijacking of a vessel with Bulgarian seamen in the Gulf of Aden. It quotes Prodan Radanov of the Bulgarian company that hires seamen for international crews (Zodiac), as saying that all 25 crew of Asian Glory are safe and sound. Zodiac has spoken to the Bulgarian crew members but have no information about the kidnappers. The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no contact has been established with the pirates and no talks on a ransom have started, the paper says.
***
The government has stepped up its efforts to collect 20 billion US dollars that Turkey owes for the property of what has come to be known as "Thracian Bulgarians", Minister without Portfolio Bozhidar Dimitrov tells "Ataka". Dimitrov is quoted in a front-page story.
"Thracian Bulgarians" are Bulgarians who migrated from Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor to Bulgaria in the wake of the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. They left behind property for billions of dollars for which no compensation has been paid despite an agreement signed in 1929 and repeated declarations by the two countries to deal with the issue.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 4, 2009
· ”I expect that some sectors of the economy will do better this year than they did before the crisis,” Bulgaria’s Finance Minister and Deputy PM Simeon Djankov said in an interview with the national television. Being a small but financially-stable country, Bulgaria stands all chances to become an investment center in SE Europe, he went on.
· Bulgaria PM Boyko Borissov has stated that the coming days will be “black” for neighborhood bandits as he announced the start of the ‘Operation Apashite’ by the Interior ministry.
Borisov said that the number one goal for the Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov was to target the robbers who the whole country complains about. He added that the government would “chase the bandits to their holes”.
Sofia, January 4
ECONOMY
"Standard News" leads with an interview with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov entitled "Private Business Will Get Us Out of the Mire", He says that he stands behind each and every step of Finance Minister Simeon Djankov and that Djankov did the impossible in the situation he was placed in. "We saved Bulgaria from bankruptcy," says the Prime Minister.
He also says that the Interior Ministry is launching a large-scale operation against what he calls "neighborhood bandits".
***
In "Dnevnik", business representatives are quoted as saying that the New Year will be difficult for some of the most important sectors of the Bulgarian economy and an improvement should not be expected before the second half of 2010. Economic analysts are unanimous that the worst problems will be the shortage of cash, lack of foreign investment and unemployment which will continue to grow to some 11 per cent. Two key sectors, construction and tourism, should be prepared for a tough year, says "Dnevnik". "The forecast is gloomy: there is no construction and the order books are thin," says Ivan Boykov, Executive Director of the Chamber of Construction. He says further that the big hopes are in government procurement but the infrastructure projects cannot offset completely the loss of investment by the private sector. The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria expects some recovery in agriculture and in the green energy industry. Their forecasts are also optimistic for the pharmaceutical and the food industry, and pessimistic for machine building.
The paper also observes that the banking sector is much more optimistic than the rest. United Bulgarian Bank CEO Stilian Vutev expects a growth in lending of 7-8 per cent. He believes that towards the middle of the year the level of interest on credits will start to be affected favorably by the measures that the government is expected to take. Postbank CEO Assen Yagodin comments that there is no economic logic in having the price of deposits go further up, which is certain to keep from rising further or even push down the interest on credits.
Agricultural producers and the food industry disagree with the grim forecasts, "Dnevnik" writes further. The farming sector and the processing industry connected with it were the only ones to see a modest growth in 2009, and people in this business have a reason to expect a stronger growth in 2010. Last year had relatively good weather conditions and grain producers saw good financial results.
***
Close to 86 million leva in state receivables were collected as at the end of November 2009 which is half the previous year's amount, the ex-Executive Director of the defunct State Receivables Agency, Dimana Miteva, tells "Klassa". As of January 1, 2010, the Agency is part of the structure of the National Revenue Agency. Miteva says that the downward trend in the collection of receivables has persisted for two years now. In 2008 the Agency reported revenue of just over 185 million leva, down from 281 million in 2007. The reason for the decline in revenue is that businesses set aside less resource for acquisition of immoveable and moveable assets which the Agency auctions, Miteva say.
***
In the best-case scenario, it will take one more painful year for the crisis to aggravate further, before a recovery is anywhere in sight, financial analyst Krassimir Angarski tells "Troud". He says that the State is stifled by an oversize administration.
***
Bulgaria's recovery from the economic downturn will be L-shaped, Lyubomir Hristov of the Managing Board of the Institute of Certified Financial Consultants, says in a "Dnevnik" interview. The paper recalls that Hristov was recently named by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov as one of his three economic advisors, along with Kristalina Georgieva of the World Bank and Ilian Mihov of the INSEAD graduate business school.
Hristov expects poverty among the elderly to become a national problem in Bulgaria - financial and social - in 2020-25.
***
The crisis held up the upward movement of local taxes and charges, "Sega" writes in a front-page story. Disproving the expectations of the National Association of Municipalities, the vast majority of municipalities are keeping unchanged their taxes or only slightly adjusting them this year. Even at places where the mayors said before the New Year that they would have to increase taxes to be able to pay the debts, taxes have stayed unchanged. At most places the local authorities are looking for additional sources of funding.
THE HOME SCENE
Under the headline "Borissov Picks the Papandreou Model for Himself", "Troud" writes that Prime Minister Borissov is very much likely to borrow the Greek model where the government leader is also the nation's top diplomat. The story quotes the Prime Minister as saying in a "Troud" interview that he would name on January 13-14 "the handsome and smart man" who would take over from Rumiana Jeleva as Foreign Minister. ["Handsome and smart man" was first used by Foreign Minister Jeleva when reporters asked her who would inherit her office when she becomes Bulgaria's representative in the European Commission]."But with this definition she gave, I see nobody other than myself! How could I tell you who are more handsome and smarter than me," said the Prime Minister.
"Troud" observes that it is no secret that Boyko Borissov likes much his Greek counterpart George Papandreou.
***
"Douma" leads with a story entitled "Crisis Affects Birth Rates". The paper quotes knowledgeable sources as saying that the baby boom will peak around Easter after which the majority of Bulgarian families will be unlikely to plan having more children. This will be an immediate effect of the economic crisis and the insecurity of jobs and incomes, the paper says.
***
"Douma" also reports that as of this year family doctors will be paid 7.70 leva for each checkup of a child, up from 5.30 leva in 2009. Like before, no fee will be charged for a child's visit to the doctor. Also from January 1, two vaccines have been added to the national children's vaccination calendar and parents will not be charged for these: a pneumococcal vaccine and the 5-component combination vaccine (against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and Haemophilus influenza type B).
***
There is an idea for a building in central Sofia that currently seats the party HQ of the National Movement for Surge and Stability (NMSS), to be taken for government use, unidentified sources of the ruling majority told "Klassa". The reason is that Sofia doesn't have enough buildings for the state administration and NMSS is no longer represented in Parliament and has no reason to enjoy the luxury of such a big building, the paper writes.
***
A good alternation of Left and Right government produces the best result for a country, Spanish Ambassador to Bulgaria Jorge Fuentes Monzonis-Vilallonga says in a "Douma" interview. A democratic country which is a member of the EU should have no areas of insecurity, the diplomat says.
***
"President Georgi Purvanov awards an order a week," "Sega" says in a front-page story. Over his one-and-a-half presidential mandate, he has presented a total of 592 state orders and at least 40 have received the Presidential Badge of Honour - an award he introduced in 2002 and presents at his discretion. Only in his first two years as President, he presented as many Balkan Range Orders (142) - the highest state award - as his predecessors Peter Stoyanov and Zhelyu Zhelev did together. By the end of Purvanov's second term as president in 2011, another 200 recipients or more will get state honors, "Sega" says.
***
"Monitor" and "Telegraf" quote unidentified police sources as saying that one more member of the group of kidnappers known by the name law-enforcers gave them - The Impudent - which police recently broke up, has agreed to cooperate with the law-enforcers. This is no other than the suspected ring leader, Ivaylo "Yozhi" Evtimov. He reportedly told prosecutors that he was not the gang's master, was only put in command for some of the kidnappings and three other persons were the true masterminds but they were not among the men arrested by police.
***
"Novinar" leads with the new hijacking of a vessel with Bulgarian seamen in the Gulf of Aden. It quotes Prodan Radanov of the Bulgarian company that hires seamen for international crews (Zodiac), as saying that all 25 crew of Asian Glory are safe and sound. Zodiac has spoken to the Bulgarian crew members but have no information about the kidnappers. The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no contact has been established with the pirates and no talks on a ransom have started, the paper says.
***
The government has stepped up its efforts to collect 20 billion US dollars that Turkey owes for the property of what has come to be known as "Thracian Bulgarians", Minister without Portfolio Bozhidar Dimitrov tells "Ataka". Dimitrov is quoted in a front-page story.
"Thracian Bulgarians" are Bulgarians who migrated from Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor to Bulgaria in the wake of the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. They left behind property for billions of dollars for which no compensation has been paid despite an agreement signed in 1929 and repeated declarations by the two countries to deal with the issue.
Links to some Bulgarian info websites in English:
· http://www.bta.bg/site/en/indexe.shtml
· http://www.novinite.com/index.php
· http://www.focus-fen.net/
Most discussed topics of the day – Sofia, January 4, 2009
· ”I expect that some sectors of the economy will do better this year than they did before the crisis,” Bulgaria’s Finance Minister and Deputy PM Simeon Djankov said in an interview with the national television. Being a small but financially-stable country, Bulgaria stands all chances to become an investment center in SE Europe, he went on.
· Bulgaria PM Boyko Borissov has stated that the coming days will be “black” for neighborhood bandits as he announced the start of the ‘Operation Apashite’ by the Interior ministry.
Borisov said that the number one goal for the Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov was to target the robbers who the whole country complains about. He added that the government would “chase the bandits to their holes”.
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